Not Your Average Wizard
by One of Three
Summary: Post DH! Spoilers. Teddy Remus Lupin, orphaned as a baby, is bound to have an interesting life growing up with his grandmother. Follow him as he grows to be a mischievous boy, and a later on snarky Hogwarts student. And what's this about a girl?
1. Kids Say the Darnedest Things

**_Author's Notes: _**_I LOVED _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows _and have been wracking my brain trying to think of what my next story should be. I think the character of Teddy Lupin has the potential to be a great main character of a story, and he could probably end up being quite mischievous, as his father's school group was and as his mother's snarky nature reveals as well. Teddy should be a living reminder of his lost parents, I think, and I hope I can do his potential character justice._

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**Chapter 1 – Kids Say the Darnedest Things**

Teddy Lupin was not your average wizard.

His mother's mother, Andromeda, had chosen to raise Teddy in the muggle neighbourhood where his mother had grown up as well. It was better, she thought, to not expose her son to magic so soon, and enjoy the few years they could have together, away from the trials and tribulations of the newly evil-free wizarding world.

However, that is not to say that he never encountered another witch or wizard in his few years of existence. On occasion, Teddy's godfather, the hero of the wizarding world, would come to visit, bringing with him presents and a beautiful redheaded witch who laughed a lot. He loved those visits and especially loved to sit on Harry's girlfriend's lap, playing with her fiery locks.

By the time Teddy reached the age of five, Harry and Ginny had married, and he had attended with his cousin Victoire who was two years younger. He had proudly watched over his three-year-old cousin as the hustle and bustle went on around them.

Though those visits were few and far between, Teddy cherished the moments he spent with Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley, even though it was mostly for the presents they brought with them. To a child of such a young age, presents were everything. People were only secondary to the gifts they brought.

Growing up in Muggle London, raised by his grandmother, it was only a matter of time until he would be exposed to the not so kind attitudes of society's children.

Up until the tender age of five, he would play with the muggles down the street, often chasing each other in the nearby park. It was that fateful day in October when the eldest child would change Teddy's life forever.

The afternoon had started simply enough, with Teddy walking over to the park to meet his playmates. Four-year-old Jonathan, the youngest of the Spencer trio was playing on the swing set, pushed by his twin sister, Lizzie. Alex, the eldest at the age of seven, was nowhere in sight.

Teddy scampered over to the twins to inquire as to Alex's whereabouts, when suddenly a figure jumped out at him from behind the nearest bush. Startled, Teddy screamed a high pitched, seemingly female, howl and subconsciously changed his hair colour to a pure white.

The Spencer children were suspended in time as Johnny's swing continued swinging without being pushed, and Lizzie stood behind it not caring that she was being tapped by the wayward swing. Jonathan stood in front of Teddy and gaped with an open mouth.

"What did you just do?" Alex had asked. He stared at his playmate in wonder, and tried to hold back tears of confusion.

Teddy stared back, just as shocked as the boy in front of him. "I… I didn't mean to. I was just scared is all…"

By that time, Johnny had come down from his swing and was standing beside Lizzie whose lips were trembling in fright. Alex stood a couple steps ahead of them, in a protective position, though he was just as frightened as the younger Spencers.

The older boy spoke again. "Well, whatever that was that you just did, change it back. I want my Teddy back!"

"I… It was an accident, I swear! I don't know how to change it. Grandma hasn't gotten to that part yet." He tried to explain as best as his five-year-old mind would let him, but it was no use. The damage had been done.

The children had run home, informing their parents that they wished to stay away from that awful boy down the street. When asked why they had changed their minds about him so suddenly, they simply exclaimed that he was a freak and that they did not like freaks.

That night, the Spencers' mother came barging down to the Tonks residence to see what all the fuss was. Teddy had hidden in the hallway closet while his grandmother spoke with Mrs. Spencer. What he overheard was something that no five-year-old should have ever had to hear.

Mrs. Spencer's words would forever ring in his ears from that day on. "I don't want that freak anywhere near my children! He is not welcome here!"

It was then that Andromeda Tonks, née Black, decided that it was time to bring Teddy Remus Lupin back into the wizarding world. His godfather had always visited him on special occasions, but it was at that time that he would meet other special children his age.

On weekends Andromeda would send little Teddy over to her dear friend Mrs. Molly Weasley to play with her first grandchild, Victoire. Victoire was the daughter of her eldest son, Bill, and his wife Fleur, who was half Veela. Sundays were Bill and Fleur's day to spend together, as both were quite busy during the week. Molly would baby-sit the dear girl to relieve the couple for a few hours.

While the pair would amuse themselves chasing the garden gnomes, Molly and Andromeda would share a cup of tea, chatting away about the current events.

One sunny Sunday afternoon, when Teddy was eight years old, and Victoire was just recently turned six, running around with the garden gnomes had lost its original appeal. It was time for the pair to move on to bigger and better things.

"Let's go bother the ghoul!" Teddy cried, not thinking through the risks of the proposed plan. Teddy was the adventurous sort, always charging head on into situations that were too big for him. The unknown never stopped him, and he always had to finish what he started, no matter how crazy or risky it was.

Victoire was the more apprehensive of the two, though she could be right feisty at times.

"No way Teddy, _Maman_ says the ghoul isn't nice and _Papa _says it throws things." She shook her head to make her point all the more clear.

"Merlin, Vicky, you're no fun." Teddy walked off slowly and headed straight for the backdoor of the Burrow.

Victoire thought for a moment, scrunching her nose as she came to her conclusion.

"Oh alright, but if we get into trouble, it is _so _your fault!" She ran after her friend, pushing him slightly as she caught up with him.

With a fit of giggles and shrieks of amusement, the children ran up the creaky stairs to the attic. Teddy stopped abruptly in front of its entrance, and Victoire all but ran right into him. They stood in front of the door listening to the rattling and banging coming from within its depths.

Teddy gulped and put a hand on the doorknob. Victoire shuddered in anticipation. With a jerk of his wrist, the door opened and the two peered inquisitively into the dark room. Suddenly, a slimy figure popped out at them, thrashing its arms about and grunting in the way ghouls often do.

"Well, alright then. We go in, yeah?" Teddy said shakily, to the hesitant girl standing beside him. The boy's hair changed to a deep blue as they walked into the attic, Victoire holding onto Teddy's shirt for dear life.

"Oi, ghouly, listen up," he started, "we're just here to look around, so, none of your funny business!"

Victoire's grip on his shirt weakened, and she walked behind him a little more confidently at his words.

The ghoul grunted some more, but turned back to its corner of the attic, where he had been eating his afternoon-tea snack of moths and spiders.

"Eww, that's gross," Victoire whispered to Teddy as she took notice of the ghoul's ghastly eating habits. She made a gagging motion with her finger and mouth to further prove her point.

Teddy sniggered and ruffled her hair, momentarily forgetting that nobody was aloud to touch her hair aside from her mother.

"Oh, don't you touch my hair you… you… boy!" Victoire shrieked at her companion, not caring that she may startle the ghoul, which she did end up doing.

As the six-year-old girl stomped her foot in disagreement, the disgruntled ghoul came charging at her and Teddy, banging the surrounding boxes for effect. It was a dreadful sight coming toward them, and both were a little uneasy at the resulting mess that was sure to follow. Teddy and Victoire were not known for their well-behaved play dates, nor were they favoured for their well tempered and brightly shining attitude to risky situations.

As the ghoul got closer to the now slightly shaking duo, it got louder and louder until the buck-toothed, ugly creature slammed its hands onto a nearby antique tea table, causing dust to float all around them and a loud noise to be heard even by the adults who were dining six landings below.

Victoire let out a cry and ran down the stairs to the Weasley twins' old room, which was then being used for storage. It was a fine place to hide from worried adults at times like these.

Teddy slammed the attic door behind them and ran after the frightened girl to the second landing of the Burrow. Once in Fred and George's old room, Teddy bent his knees and dropped his head in an attempt to catch his breath. Victoire sat on the floor in the far left corner of the room, her chin resting in her upturned palms, looking at Teddy with a murderous look in her eyes. "Told you so! Ghouls are scary; you never listen to me, but I'm always right!"

Teddy was about to send back a retort of his own, but Victoire cut him off before he could utter the words. "Teddy Remus Lupin you are such a meanie!" And, with that, she chucked a stray book at her friend's head.

"Oi, Vicky, what in Merlin's world was that for? We're safe aren't we?" Teddy bent down to look at his friend at her eye level. "You and me, we get out of messes. That's what we do…"

Victoire pouted and glared at Teddy, not bothering to grace him with a suitable answer. She grumbled under her breath, asking herself why she put up with boys, when it was so obvious that they were 'icky'.

As Victoire brushed off some dust from her skirt, the duo heard a knock at the door and yelped at the prospect of the ghoul somehow following them down five flights of stairs. It turned out to be their guardians, checking to see if they were still alive.

"Are you lot alright in there?" Andromeda Tonks inquired. Molly Weasley added her own inquiry, "Get out here this instant, children. Tell us what you have been up to that you're so excitable when holed up in a storage room."

The children opened the door and walked with the adults, down the stairs to the kitchen where they sat around the table for a story.

Teddy revealed the inner workings of his plan to abandon the garden gnomes for the better entertainment of the attic ghoul. He did not quite master the art of convincing his grandmother of the plan's flawless design, but he did manage to squeeze a laugh out of the woman. Molly, too, was slightly amused at his story, but was quite unpleased at the prospect of the two of them getting hurt while running around The Burrow, unsupervised.

It was times like those that Teddy and Victoire were so thankful to be friends. Sunday afternoons were never boring, and they both looked forward to the days they would receive their Hogwarts letters and move on into the world of magical education, where they could have all the more fun with new and better ways of causing mischief.


	2. It's Always about the Presents

**Chapter 2 – It's Always about the Presents**

"I got it, I got it!" screamed Teddy, as he ran down the stairs to show his grandmother the letter that had arrived by owl just one minute before.

It was late April and Teddy Lupin had just turned eleven, which meant he had gotten "it." He had received his invitation to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At midnight, on the dot, Teddy had heard the tapping on his bedroom window and had instantly thrown off his covers and bounded toward the noise. The official Hogwarts' school owl had perched on his windowsill, waiting for him to take his letter and send her off.

This had been but a moment ago, and now Teddy was eager to show his grandmother his most important show of acceptance. He was a wizard, not a freak, and he loved that he would be able to spend every day of the rest of his childhood with others of his 'kind.' Living around muggles was not quite the worst thing in Teddy's life, but it would make things so much easier if he could just spend his days in the world of magic for which his parents had fought and died.

"I am so very proud of you, Teddy my boy. Hogwarts is an exceptional school and I know if your parents were alive today they would be proud of you, too." She bent down to kiss her grandson on the forehead but he shied away grumbling about being too old for these sorts of things.

Teddy was excited to be going to Hogwarts, but was a bit wary at the prospect of making new friends. As it stood, Victoire Weasley was his only magical friend, due to the Sunday afternoon excursions at The Burrow into which his grandmother had gotten him. "Grandma, do you think I'll make friends there?"

"Oh, of course, Teddy dearest! Who wouldn't want to be friends with a boy as sweet as you? It's those teachers you'll need to worry about, if you don't learn to behave for more than five consecutive minutes!" she let out a chuckle and turned back to the kitchen humming softly in excitement.

Teddy had rushed to the floo after that, to inform Victoire of his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

His head bobbed in the fireplace at Shell Cottage, waiting for someone to come into the foyer, though it was somewhat late at night. The time did not bother Teddy as it was an important event and of course, anyone involved should drop everything and rush to hear the good news. "Oi, Weasleys, got some good news right here!" he yelled, hoping for attention.

Fleur and Bill rushed down the stairs in a frenzy, afraid of what might be going on if someone was calling by floo at such a strange nightly hour. Fleur quickly tied her bathrobe, while Bill ran a hand through his long red mane.

"Oh, eet iz Teddy, ze Lupin boy, Bill! Call down Victoire, _mon_ _chérie_; I am certain ze boy would like to speak to his friend, yes?" Fleur Delacour Weasley was delighted to see Teddy, as her demeanor changed quite significantly at the site of the impishly grinning face in her fireplace.

Victoire came down the stairs looking like she would have loved to still be curled up in her comfortable bed. Her hair askew, and donning pink pajamas, she shuffled her feet while she made her way to the foyer fireplace. "This better be good, Teddy, or I'm going back to sleep."

Teddy grinned evilly at his friend, "You wear pink pajamas with hearts and kisses on them?"

As always, Teddy's comments had bad timing as a stray book was lying on a nearby table, and Victoire knew exactly what to do with it. The book flew at his head in the fireplace, and Teddy's vision disappeared for a few seconds. "Oi Vicky, what in Merlin's world was that for? I call you by floo at an ungodly hour to give you some news and you send me back a projectile aimed at my head? Some friend you are."

Victoire was a little more awake then, and giggled at Teddy's annoyance. "Oh alright, then. Out with it."

Her parents nodded in agreement and looked expectantly at the boy's apparition in the fire.

"I got my letter! To go to Hogwarts, of course. It's my birthday as of ten minutes ago. While I'm here, I may as well pick up any presents you may have lying about…"

The boy chuckled as his face left the fireplace to be replaced by his body stumbling through. "Can a boy get a hug?"

Victoire crossed her arms over her chest and huffed at Teddy, not answering his query. Bill and Fleur embraced him, though, which was more than could be said for their almost nine-year-old daughter.

"You're eleven years old now, you sure you're not too old for presents?" Bill teased the boy and ruffled up his hair a bit.

Teddy shrunk back, "Not the hair, man!"

With a quick "accio," Bill retrieved the boy's present from its hiding spot under the bed in the master bedroom. Victoire had discovered its resting spot a week before and had promptly informed Teddy that he had a medium sized present waiting for him. She was not as nosy as Teddy when it came to finding presents early, but she was curious enough to at least size it up for him.

Teddy ripped into the neatly wrapped package, revealing the contents, which were very much to his liking. "Weasley Wizarding Wheezes? Brilliant, thanks!"

Bill nodded and explained the gift. "That's from all us Weasleys, and my mum is sending you a knit jumper for you in the morning, but don't tell her I told you; it's supposed to be a surprise."

Prank items, tricks, and jokes were not a wise choice to gift the eleven-year-old boy with, for he was very devious in his old age, all the more so after the tales his godfather had been sharing with him. He had told him of the trouble his father and his school friends had gotten up to in their Hogwarts days and the legacy that continued with the Marauder's Map and the Weasley twins.

"What, you couldn't wait 'til you got home to open it, Teddy?" Victoire feigned disgust and calmly inspected her fingernails to avoid Teddy's gaze. For a nine year old, Victoire was quite good at acting, and it always delighted her to know that she was irritating her friend to no end.

Teddy stuck his tongue out at Victoire, and fixed up his box, with the contents securely placed inside. He could not yet magic it closed, as he did not have his wand. That would wait another few hours, as he would be making a trip to Diagon Alley with his grandmother in the early afternoon.

The next morning, Teddy groggily got out of bed and dressed in his muggle clothing draping his casual robe around his shoulders. He walked into the kitchen, grabbing a muffin off his grandmother's plate as he passed her and plopped down in the chair beside her.

"So, dear, we'll floo over to Diagon Alley after breakfast, hm?" Andromeda Tonks confirmed the day's plans with her grandson and waited for him to finish his breakfast of muffins, eggs and orange juice.

Teddy nodded as he scarfed down a whole muffin, using his metamorphmagus power to enlarge his mouth to fit the desired food item. When he was nearly finished swallowing, but still had a mouthful of muffin, he answered his grandmother.

"Mmph mm mmm, mmphmmm." He washed down his food with a glass of fresh orange juice, and repeated his answer in case his grandmother did not understand muffin-speak.

"Sure we can, grandma," he restated, "but can we go to Ollivander's first? I can't wait to get my wand!"

Breakfast finished rather quickly, and the pair made their way to Diagon Alley, heading straight for Ollivander's as per Teddy's request. He was the birthday boy, after all

Standing in front of Mr. Ollivander, Teddy actually trembled in anticipation, something he did not usually do. He was anxious to see which type of wand he would get, and what kind of results he would get to see.

"Ah, Teddy Remus Lupin, I remember your parents well. They fought against evil with their wands, a most noble thing indeed…" Ollivander greeted the boy and proceeded to rummage through boxes of wands around his shop.

"Here we are, Holly, with a core of Unicorn hair. Quite swishy. Why don't you give it a go?"

Teddy flicked the wand but nothing happened. He frowned a little until the nice man reassured him.

"That's quite alright, dear boy. Not your fault; the wand chooses the wizard, as I always say."

Mr. Ollivander handed Teddy a few more wands but none seemed to bring the desired effect. Finally, Mr. Ollivander crouched behind his counter and pulled out a shiny black box.

"I've been saving this one for a special occasion, so I suppose now is a good a time as any."

Mr Ollivander opened the box, and pulled out the wand inside. "Oh-ho, boy, this is an interesting wand indeed; Willow, with the hair of a Werewolf, given willingly. Quite swishy, at 10 ¼ inches, if I do say so."

Teddy gulped and inched closer to the man slowly reaching for the wand. As his hands closed about the wood, shiny sparks of emerald green shot out from the tip. They soon changed to vibrant blue and electric purple, and finally settled at neon pink.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Teddy. Good day." And, with a bow, Mr Ollivander turned back to his work counter and dismissed the pair from his shop.

Teddy whispered to his grandmother, "Dad was a werewolf, right?"

"Yes, Ted, and he loved you very much. Don't you ever forget that." She replied, not even for a moment doubting her words.

Teddy slipped his hand into hers and they walked silently on to visit the pet shop and Madame Malkin's for some school robes.

At the end of the day, Teddy now had in his possession a pet kneazle, a size 2 cauldron, level 1 books for his classes, and Hogwarts school robes that were just itching to be customized with a House colour. Soon enough, he would attend Hogwarts and everything would fall into place.


	3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry

_**Author's Notes: **__Sorry it took so long! I had written a full chapter but then decided to change the entire thing at the last minute. Hope it doesn't suck. Enjoy!_

_BTW, it was changed based on a review. So please, review, I take everything to heart _:)

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**Chapter 3 – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Teddy's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was wonderful. He had learned all sorts of bits of magic, and had taken flying lessons, as well. He became fast friends with the resident Grounds Keeper, Rubeus Hagrid, and even managed to get on the librarian's good side, which was very hard for students to do. However, that is not to say that he did not get in trouble, because he did.

Teddy was known as the prankster in his House, which was, of course, Gryffindor. He had been sorted in mere seconds; the second the Sorting Hat had touched a multi-coloured hair on his head it had made its decision and called it aloud.

With his stash of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes that Victoire's family had given him, Teddy was well on his way to rivalling even Fred and George Weasley for their innovative ideas that could terrorize unsuspecting Hogwarts students. He had set off dungbombs simultaneously throughout all the school's toilets, and another time, he had snuck puking pastilles into his unsuspecting housemates' food.

His latest escapade did not involve any items from the Weasley joke shop. Teddy had single-handedly started a food fight in the Great Hall, all on account of Peeves the Poltergeist. Peeves had been bothering the boy, so to make him stop; Teddy had thrown his dinner at the ghost. However, it did not occur to him that a corporeal being would not get in the way of the flying food, and his dinner had hit a Slytherin across from his table. In turn, the Slytherin boy had thrown food back his way, and this had started an outright food war. All the Houses had joined in, and in moments, the room was covered in the night's dinner. The house-elves were not happy, to say the least.

This had happened a week before Christmas vacation, and the rest of those days were to be spent in detention. Teddy had been assigned detention with his head of house, but the professor had left a day early for the Christmas Holiday, and he was to be watched by Hagrid for the time being.

It was a chilly night, and Teddy was wearing the jumper that Mrs. Weasley had given him for his birthday. It fit snugly, and he loved it very much. Homemade things were his favourite sort of present, though he would never admit that to anyone in fear of being marked as a softie.

He walked briskly to Hagrid's hut, and knocked loudly when he arrived. Seconds later, the half-giant opened the door and let him in with a great big smile.

"Nice to see yeh, Teddy. Come have a cuppa with me." He said, with his heavy accent. "Make yerself comfy, lad, this ain't no detention."

Teddy sat in the seat across from Hagrid, with a steaming cup of tea waiting right in front of him. Hagrid's famous fruitcake was on the table, as well, but Teddy knew better than to try a piece and risk losing a tooth. If offered, he would politely decline.

They sat together, chatting amiably, and sipping their tea. Teddy had indeed declined a piece of cake, and they had begun talking about his parents.

"Yer parents were right brave, they was. Fightin' alongside the Order, couldn't have asked fer a better death, if yeh ask me."

Hagrid reached into a bag under the table, and pulled out a badly wrapped package, tied with a spare piece of string. "Now's a good time as any, eh?" And, with that, he pushed over the gift to Teddy, and motioned for him to open it.

Teddy tugged at the string, and let it fall to the table. He ripped off the brown paper, and revealed a leather bound photo album, with an inscription on the cover, that read: _Teddy Remus Lupin_.

He opened to the first page, and to his surprise he saw a picture of a thin woman dressed in a white dress robe, with pink hair, and a man in somewhat shabby dress robes of his own, standing aside her. They were saying their wedding vows, it seemed. Teddy knew right away that these two figures were his parents. The photograph was taken at their wedding, though it was a small affair, as he had heard.

He continued on to the next few pages, pausing as he saw a photograph of the same woman, but with mousy brown hair, holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. That bundle was obviously him as a newborn baby, and the woman was obviously his mother.

There were a few more photographs of Teddy as a baby, with his parents, but the rest were either old photographs from his father's days at Hogwarts, or newer photos. The more recent ones were of him and his grandmother, and from the Potter-Weasley wedding that he had attended as a child.

The last photograph in the album was of Teddy and Victoire, at their last Sunday afternoon before he had headed off to Hogwarts. It was obvious to Teddy that Hagrid had put a lot of effort into this gift, and had collected photographs from many sources, just for him. He was touched, to say the very least.

"I hope yeh like it, boy. Now yeh've got somethin' to look at when yeh miss your family."

Hagrid poured another cup of tea for himself and for Teddy, and continued with the conversation. "I knew a boy once, in the same boat as yeh. No parents, and no memories of 'em, neither. I gave him an album like this when he was about yer age. Treasured it forever, he did." Tears welled in Hagrid eyes, but did not fall. This was as emotional for him as it was for Teddy. Hagrid had also grown up without parents for most of his life, and knew what it was like to feel alone.

"Thank you, so much. Hagrid it's wonderful, really. I'll treasure it forever, too." As he thanked the man, Teddy could not stop the tears from falling down his own face, and had to choke back a tiny sob.

The rest of his 'detention' went by in a blur, and Hagrid had escorted him back to the castle. Teddy spent the rest of the night repeatedly looking through the photo album; he had not lied when he said he would treasure it forever. It was to become one of his most prized possessions, even rivalling his wand and prank items.

Over the next couple of years, Teddy had continued his escapades, but he knew he would have to tone things down once Victoire were to join him in the school. He was protective of her, having never had siblings of his own, and he did not want Victoire to have to go through detentions such as he had throughout his first few years. Now, in third year, he felt a little more mature, though others would say that was not true as he was still as immature as ever, just less obvious about it.

And so it was that Teddy sat at the Gryffindor table on the first evening of his third year at Hogwarts, waiting for the sorting to begin. He was anxious to see into which house Victoire would be sorted, though he was so very sure she would be placed in Gryffindor. However, she did like to follow rules a bit more than he did, and she was very bright. Perhaps she would end up in Ravenclaw. He did not know, and all he could do was hope for the best.

"Weasley, Victoire," the Headmaster called out.

Victoire walked slowly up to the stool where the sorting would be done. She sat down apprehensively and waited for the hat to be placed on her head.

'_Oh my, another Weasley, it would seem,' _the hat said inside her head. '_It's been a while since I had one of those. But where is your red hair? Oh well._'

'_My mum's a Veela, with blond hair,' _she explained, '_Sorry to disappoint you._'

The hat continued it's babbling. '_Very well, dear, on with the sorting, then._ _Hmm, interesting, indeed. You are quite loyal, having grown up a Weasley, and brave too, no doubt. But I do see something quite surprising. Very surprising…_'

'_Well, what is it, hat? Is something the matter?_' Victoire was worried at how long the hat was taking to finish its train of thought and sort her into a house.

'_Surprising… Yes, you could very well be placed in any house, though one stands out in particular for you. Would you like to know which one it is?_'

Victoire knew that if given the choice, she would choose to be with her friend Teddy, in Gryffindor. She also knew that she definitely did not want to be placed in Slytherin, if only because of the bad reputation the house had. She knew Teddy would never forgive her if she were sorted into the House of Snakes.

'Very well, then, I suppose it had better be…' and with that, the Hat screamed aloud, "Gryffindor!"

The table of Gryffindors burst into cheers and welcomed their newest housemate. Teddy pushed down to make room for Victoire next to him and he immediately put an arm around her and congratulated her.

"Oh congratulations, Vicky! I'm so happy you're in Gryffindor! I was afraid I'd have to disown you or something if you were sorted into Slytherin or something."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Teddy. I appreciate it, really. You're lucky there aren't any books around, or maybe I'll try a fork this time…"

Teddy cringed at the thought, and wondered for the first time just why it was that Victoire enjoyed throwing things at him so very much. Lucky for him, she was not really about to try fork throwing on him, and he was so very glad to be safe from her wrath, if only for a little while.

They walked together after the stating feast, and Teddy excitedly explained anything there was to know about life at Hogwarts in one's first year. He also mentioned that if she wanted, he could show her the way to the kitchens, only if she promised to never be caught. He was willing to allow her this, at least, but other mischievous plots were to be discarded. It would not be a good idea to get her into detentions; her parents were assuming he'd be keeping an eye on her, and he felt the need to watch out for her, even if they hadn't been expecting it of him, anyway.

As they approached the stairs to their dorms, Teddy hugged his friend goodnight. "I'm glad you're here Vicky, it's been a while since I had a real friend around."

Victoire looked at Teddy, and her eyes shone slightly, "Oh Teddy, it'll be great, won't it? Finally together again. Hogwarts won't know what hit it!"

The pair went their separate ways, and in the morning, they would embark on the journey of a year in Hogwarts.


	4. A Teenager's Want

_**Author's Note: **I am soooooo sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I had lost some inspiration over the past few months, and was unable to write as best as I could. I had decided that I could not write until I was able to write even a little bit humorously again. I hope I have achieved that again, as this is the last chapter of this short story. There's not much else to be written here, unless I write about their encounter on the day Victoire goes back to school for her seventh year. I don't really want to do that because I liked how we didn't know much about it in the last HP book. _

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**Chapter 4 - A Teenager's Want **

It was an early morning, in the fall of Teddy Lupin's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was not happy. He had not gotten a wink of sleep that night, and for a quite worrisome reason, no less.

Victoire. Victoire Weasley. She was all the boy could think of. That would be fine and dandy, surely, seeing as they were the best of friends and had been since their early childhood, but these days he was seeing her in a new light and it was very untimely.

As Teddy had realized, unfortunately around three in the morning, thinking about his best friend was no longer as innocently friendly as it used to be. Over the past year he had noticed a change in his younger friend; a change that was not unnoticed by the rest of the male population of Hogwarts. True he had been fifteen years old and she had been thirteen, but at that age where girls begin to show a glimpse of their future selves, he had been quickly sucked in. Victoire Weasley's mother _was _a half Veela, after all.

The start of term had Teddy plagued by those thoughts, popping up on him at the most unexpected and unwanted of times. He was a sixteen-year-old boy, and it really was not uncommon for girls to creep into his mind. It was, however, uncommon that it was Miss Weasley.

Over the past couple of years, Teddy had grown into his boyish looks and witty charm, and shed a bit of his immature attitude. He was still the same clever and mischievous boy, just taller, calmer and better at hiding that wicked gleam in his eyes that he used to get when concocting a plan for a prank of some sort. He had dated a Ravenclaw student for the better part of his fifth year, but they had ended things when they both realized that there really was not very much feeling between them. His heart was obviously elsewhere, and her lips were obviously elsewhere, as well.

That had been at the end of fifth year, and now, at the beginning of his sixth, he had finally realized what he had been longing for. It scared him, and Teddy Lupin was not easily frightened. Well… unless he was on the receiving end of a flying book thrown by an angry blonde Weasley, that is.

"Ugh," he groaned, as he pulled himself out of bed. "It's going to be a long day."  
He sighed and dressed and cleaned himself, then gathered his book bag to head on his way to breakfast. There was no more waiting; this was the time he would confront Vicky about what had been bothering him for the past couple of weeks.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Teddy had to try to keep himself from accidentally bumping into Victoire as they sat side by side munching away. He tried to look only at his food, but his temptation got the best of him. Every now and again, he would find his gaze drifting to Victoire's soft blonde hair or trying not to make eye contact with her deep brown eyes, despite his best efforts to keep away.

Finally, Victoire could not take the obvious struggle going on within the boy, and decided to say something to ease his mind. She did not know what he was struggling with, but as his best friend, she knew that she had to at least do something to help him; it was only right.

"Everything alright there, Ted?" Victoire inquired, placing a hand on his thigh in a show of comfort.

Teddy quickly jumped from his seat, accidentally knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice in the process. In a shaky voice he exclaimed, "Don't!" Realizing he had said that much louder than anticipated, he continued a few decibels lower. "Don't touch me, Vic… Not right now."

Victoire was obviously hurt, and did not hesitate to show it. Her nose scrunched in that way it so often did, and she held on tightly to her breakfast fork in her right hand; the hand that had tried to comfort him.

"Well, if that's how you're going to be, then you can just forget about any sort of help from me." And, with that, she brought her right hand up in a swift motion – but not quickly enough. Teddy had at least anticipated this move, remembering her threat about forks from her first year, and moved back just in time. He whispered a quiet but genuine "Sorry" and ran away from the mess he could have avoided if he had just been a man and talked to Victoire instead of trying to ignore her throughout the meal.

Victoire sat at the table, dumbfounded. She was extremely curious at her friend's odd behaviour, and decided that she would approach Teddy later on in the day.

Dinnertime rolled around, and Teddy was nowhere to be seen in the Great Hall. Victoire knew exactly where she could find him, and set off to locate the boy.

Sitting under a tree by the lake, Teddy's face was all that showed beneath the hood of his maroon sweatshirt. It was a chilly and rainy evening, and he decided that it was the perfect weather for the way he was feeling. He stared at the blades of grass, watching as the rain beat down hard on the ground, spraying drops in in many directions.

It was in that way that Victoire found him sitting in his usual spot. She wore her school uniform skirt, but over her regulation shirt and vest, she wore a pink zip-up sweater. She did not bother covering her hair with her hood, which left her hair sopping wet and sticking to her back.

"I figured you'd come," he said, not looking up from his staring contest with the grass. "How can I be of service, fair lady?"

"Now is definitely not the time for jokes, Ted," she replied, with a bit of annoyance showing in her usually friendly voice. "Can we talk?"

Teddy looked up at her, and made eye contact for the first time that day. "If you'll listen, I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know. I think it's about time for that, anyway."

Victoire simply nodded in approval and waited for Teddy to explain his earlier actions.

Teddy gulped, but the lump in his throat would not budge. He was obviously nervous, and he knew that this was not going to be easy. No joke could save him from the awkwardness of this moment. It was at times like this that he regretted the seriousness his father had passed down to him. It always came out at the worst moments, or so he thought. Really, this was a great time to be serious, as conversations such as this one were very important in a teenager's life.

"Err… You see… Well… I broke things off with Serenity a couple of months ago, right? It wasn't only because of her wayward lips."

Victoire scrunched her nose as always; she was confused. "What does that have to do with today, though?"

"Shush, do you want me to explain or not? I'm getting there."

She nodded again.

"She was physically unfaithful for the better part of our relationship, and I… I was emotionally unfaithful, too, I guess."

Teddy pulled up some wet grass, tearing it out of the ground at the roots and bringing up some muddy dirt along with it. He discarded it next to his left shoe and repeated the action while he continued speaking. "Vicky, you're all I could think about for those few months. I never understood why, but I finally came to a conclusion late last night, instead of getting some much loved sleep."

Victoire let out a barely audible gasp and bit her lower lip to keep her from interrupting him.

"It took all my will-power to not look at you this morning. I was scared, and I knew that if I caught a glimpse of your hair or your eyes or even your hands for longer than a second that I'd be hooked and wouldn't be able to pull myself back…" His last few words choked out slowly, showing the struggle he was still having with himself; even now, that he was confessing his motives to the beautiful fourteen-year-old.

"You're all I want, Vic. It's just you and me, like always, but… evolved. If you'll have me, that is."

Victoire bent down to his eye level and placed a hand on his knee. Teddy did not flinch or jump back this time. "Then why not just say so in the first place? We're friends, Teddy. Best friends. Don't you think I would listen and understand? We know each other so well, how could you have thought I wouldn't get it?"

Teddy answered slowly, thinking of what he would say first. This was unusual for him, as he usually leapt into things, headfirst. "I didn't want to risk driving you away. It could have been awkward, even more so than this morning's breakfast. When you touched my leg, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away as fast as possible, or I might have done something rash."

"And what might you have done, Teddy?"

"This," he whispered as he leaned forward and planted a soft and undemanding kiss on his best friend's lips. Blushing slightly, he pulled back a few seconds later, afraid of the girl crouched in front of him.

Victoire looked at him, a little surprised, but not in the least bit angry. She sat down next to him, not caring about her clothes getting any more wet than they already were. Taking his hand in hers, and intertwining their fingers, she reassured him as best as she could. "All you ever had to do was ask."

Starting that night, they had stepped up their friendship to that of a romantic relationship. This went on well into his seventh year and even after he graduated and began training as a curse breaker.

At the start of Victoire's seventh year, they were still together and going strong. That is where the story leaves off, at the Kings Cross Train Station, on Platform Nine and Three Quarters.


End file.
